Peru / Kuélap

Kuélap: The cloud warriors fortress (northern high valleys)

The Chachapoyas ("cloud forest people") were a fierce people who settled in the northern mountains of Peru and put up decades of stiff resistance against the Inca — their massive fortress of Kuélap withstood attacks for a long time. A visit to the Chachapoyas ruins pairs beautifully with a stay in the Gocta Valley and a roughly 4-hour hike to the 700m-plus Gocta waterfalls. Other traces of Chachapoyas culture include the cliffside sarcophagi of Karajía and the mausoleums of Revash. The city of Gran Pajatén, hidden deep in the rainforest of Río Abiseo National Park, can be reached from Trujillo after several days' travel, but is currently closed for scientific research.